


make a wish (count to three)

by teeandrainbows



Series: Chopped: The 100 Fanfic Edition [10]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Angst, Class Differences, Dystopia, F/M, Partners in Crime, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-30
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:06:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23385700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teeandrainbows/pseuds/teeandrainbows
Summary: In Alpha City, anyone who isn't a Prime, the top tier of society, is claimed by a factory to work for a meager living at the age of 18.  When Murphy is selected for the factory overseen by the mysterious Alie, he thinks life might finally be getting better...
Relationships: Echo & John Murphy (The 100), Emori/John Murphy (The 100)
Series: Chopped: The 100 Fanfic Edition [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1547764
Comments: 8
Kudos: 20
Collections: Chopped Madness





	make a wish (count to three)

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Round 2 of Chopped Madness! This time, we had to write a Dystopia fic centering on Murphy, with bed-sharing and partners in crime! Hope you enjoy!
> 
> The title comes from "Pure Imagination" from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory!

His heart raced as he bolted down the street. A bin was in his path and he vaulted over it, ducking down an alley. He couldn’t miss curfew, not again. Not after he had only just barely managed to sweet talk the Sanctum guards the last time. He just knew the next time he ended up in front of them, he wouldn’t be so lucky. And if he ended up in front of the sociopathic blonde…

He couldn’t think about that right now. He needed to get home before the siren. John Murphy emerged from the alley, dashing across the street and continuing on his way. Along the way, he absently noticed a group of Primes walking leisurely down the opposite side of the street. His blood boiled. They didn’t have to race home before 8pm. They didn’t have to worry about a curfew. He didn’t have time to dwell on that, though. He only had three minutes.

At exactly 7:59pm by the digital clock on the outside wall of his home, he burst in through the doors, panting and leaning against the wall, making no effort to take off his shoes. A minute later, a long siren wailed through the city, alerting anyone who wasn’t a Prime that they couldn’t leave their homes again until the following morning.

“You made it,” his sister said in a dry voice. “You really have to watch yourself, Murphy.”

Murphy straightened up, casting his eyes about the room until they fell on the tall brunette in the corner. Echo was watching him with a bemused expression, a mug in her hands with steam rising from it. After taking a sip, she set it down on the table and crossed her arms in front of her.

“Lost track of time,” he said, shrugging. “And I was on the opposite end of the city.”

“Don’t tell me you were looking at Eden again,” Echo said, rising to her feet and going to the tiny kitchen in the corner of their one-room home. Really, it was a box. They barely had enough room for a small table, a sofa, a wardrobe, and a bed tucked into the corner. It was all they could afford, though. At one time, Echo had thought they would be able to move once she was assigned her factory job. Two years later, she was working long hours in the Azgeda Meat Factory and they were still stuck in their tiny apartment.

“Earth to Murphy!” Echo’s voice broke into his thoughts and Murphy shook his head, blinking. She was standing in front of him, holding out a mug with a dark, steaming liquid inside.

“Hm?”

“You know no one gets assigned to Eden,” Echo said, shrugging her tattooed shoulders.

“It could happen,” he replied sullenly, taking the mug from her and sipping at it. Tea. He hated tea. Preferred coffee. But coffee was expensive, he knew that. Anything from Eden was expensive.

“Well, we’ll see what happens tomorrow,” his sister said, gesturing to the sofa. Right. He was getting his assignment in the morning. Murphy finally kicked off his shoes and followed her over, settling down and stretching out his feet.

“How was your day?” he asked, turning to her. Echo flushed, glancing down at her lap.

“I think I’m finally getting used to it. Roan helped me out a bit today,” she said, spinning the mug around in her hands.

Weird. That wasn’t like her. Murphy arched an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you’re falling for the guy. He’s a Prime. It’s never going to happen.”

“I know that,” Echo said, harshly, turning to him, her eyes flashing.

Murphy held up his free hand, palm facing her. “I’m not sorry. It’s the truth.”

She groaned, finishing her tea in silence. When Murphy was finished, he reached over, taking the mug from her before she spun it between her fingers one more time.

“I’ll clean up. You had a long day,” he said, putting both mugs in one hand before squeezing her shoulder. Echo nodded appreciatively before rising to her feet, going to their equally tiny washroom while Murphy rinsed out the two mugs.

While he cleaned up, his thoughts drifted to the factory assignments he would face in the morning. Through the tiny round window to his left he could see a large smokestack in the distance. The Arkadia Metal Factory. He supposed that one wouldn’t be so bad. That or Azgeda, so he could work with Echo. Eden was a far-off dream, like Echo had said, and no one wanted to end up at the Polis Weapons Factory. Eligius Tech wouldn’t be too bad, although he wasn’t so sure he’d be able to keep up with it. Murphy shuddered at the thought of the Mount Weather Science Labs, though. The rumours flying out of that factory were horrifying.

Really, there were only two options. He would just have to hope that the Primes saw it fit to send him to one of them.

When he finished, Murphy turned to see Echo sitting on the edge of their small bed, watching him. He nodded, tossing the dishrag down into the sink, and walked over.

“G’night,” Echo said, lying down and rolling to the side so Murphy could crawl in beside her. He repeated the sentiment, tugging his blanket around him after rolling onto his back so he could stare up at the ceiling.

In the morning, Echo poked him awake before climbing over him. She spent the next twenty minutes lecturing him about the assignment ceremony.

“And make sure you stand up tall, don’t give them any reason to send you to Polis,” she added, fussing with the collar of his shirt.

“Echo. No offense, but… I’ve got this,” Murphy finally said, ducking away from her and grabbing the hand mirror, messing up his hair after she had spent five minutes trying to tame it. “You need to get ready to go, anyway.”

Echo rolled her eyes, turning away from him. “Good luck today. I wish I could be there.”

“Hey. It’ll be fine,” he told her, reaching out and taking her hand in his. “Maybe I’ll see you at Azgeda this afternoon.”

She smiled. “That would be nice.”

Another fifteen minutes later and Echo was out the door. Murphy went to the door to watch her heading down the street. That would be him tomorrow, leaving the apartment with a purpose. To work in the factories. That would be better than wandering aimlessly around the streets, trying not to get in trouble with Sanctum.

When it was time, Murphy took one last look around the apartment, his eyes falling on the jacket Echo had bought him for his eighteenth birthday party a month ago. She had told him not to wear it to the ceremony, though, that it made him look too much like a teenage delinquent.

“Screw it,” he said, picking it up off the floor and patting some of the dust off of it. It was his last day as a kid. Might as well wear something he was comfortable in.

He dragged his feet as he made his way through the city to the Gathering Hall where the ceremony would take place. As he walked, Murphy’s gaze fell on some of his old hangouts from when he was a kid, including the old Dropship where he had spent most of his time before meeting Echo. Now it was deserted. Had been for years. Murphy stared longingly through the window before carrying on, mindful of the cameras above every building tracking his every move.

Finally he reached the Gathering Hall where a swarm of new eighteen-year-olds were milling about. He recognized some of them. Harper, holding hands with her boyfriend Monty, had a brave face on but Murphy could tell she was nervous. In the corner was Raven, talking a mile a minute with someone he didn’t recognize, and Murphy wandered over.

“Hey,” he said, glancing between his childhood friend and the other girl. Raven gaped at him.

“I completely forgot you were eighteen,” she said, crossing her arms in front of her.

“Right back at you,” he shot back, glancing at the other girl. “Who’s this?”

“I’m Emori,” the other girl said, sticking out her hand, but strangely keeping her other hand tucked behind her back. Murphy didn’t linger on the thought, instead completely forgetting to shake her hand.

“Murphy. John Murphy. Nice tattoo,” he said, nodding at her. It was interesting, the way it curled on one side of her face.

Emori nodded, but didn’t get a chance to reply. A gong sounded through the room, reverberating loudly, and all eyes turned to the stage at the front where the council of Primes were stepping out. The room fell silent.

Russell Lightbourne stepped forward, beginning the standard speech about the history of Alpha City and how it had survived the great wars, and how the factories had sprouted up as a way to provide work for the common people. Murphy would have fallen asleep during the speech if Raven had not poked him. He knew the history. It was boring.

Eventually, the ceremony began. Each new adult went to the stage where the Prime in charge of the factory they were assigned to welcomed them. It was a long process. Murphy tried to block out Harper’s cries when Monty was claimed by Mount Weather, and cringed when she followed her boyfriend. Then it was his turn.

Murphy walked onto the stage, his feet dragging. He glanced at Roan, representing the Azgeda Factory, and Kane, representing Arkadia, silently begging for one or the other to step forward.

Neither did.

Instead, the tall woman with dark hair at the end of the line took a step forward, smiling at him. Murphy was sure his jaw dropped.

“John Murphy will be working at the Eden Factory,” the woman, Alie, said. The room went silent. It had been three years since any new adults had been claimed by Eden.

Murphy swallowed, stepping forward and shaking hands with the woman. She had a kindly smile but it didn’t reach her eyes. As he walked off the stage, he wanted the floor to swallow him. It didn’t, and by the time he made it back to the back corner, Raven had been called.

“Did I hear that right?” Emori whispered, leaning in close to him.

“I think so,” Murphy replied, his tongue heavy in his mouth. His dream had come true. He was going to work at Eden.

Raven was instantly claimed by Eligius, to no one’s surprise, and then Emori was called. Raven reappeared beside Murphy, a question in her eyes but he shook his head. When Alie stepped forward for an unprecedented second time, he could have sworn he heard a pin drop.

After the last claiming, Lightbourne spoke again but all eyes were on Murphy and Emori. The buzz picked up once the ceremony was finished, as one by one, the Primes called their new recruits to leave for the tour of the facility until there were only three people left in the room.

“Shall we?” Alie asked, and Murphy nodded mutely. Beside him, Emori did the same. The tall woman smiled again and led them out to a bright red car. Murphy had never been in a car but he slid in, the plush seats comfortable after standing for so long. He didn’t feel comfortable enough to speak, though. Alie was a statue in the front passenger seat, and Emori was staring out the window, so Murphy settled for doing the same. Soon they reached the Eden Factory, the smokestacks like fingers stretching up towards the sky.

“Do you know what we produce here at Eden?” Alie spoke, catching Murphy off guard. She had twisted around in her seat and was watching him with a curious expression. He shook his head mutely and she laughed. It was a strangely cold laugh. “You’ll soon find out,” she added, turning away and stepping out of the car.

Alie led Murphy and Emori into the factory, first stopping at a small office where they had their photos taken and printed on badges. They would need to show them to security at the entrance every day, and the badges would also allow them into the production rooms. She then took them on a tour of the facilities.

“Here at Eden, we produce the luxuries of life,” Alie told them. The luxuries of life turned out to be chocolate and sweets. Murphy had known Eden produced coffee, but not this. He didn’t think he had ever eaten a sweet in his life. They were reserved for the elite of Alpha City, the Primes of Sanctum. Not him.

After the tour, he and Emori were put to work on the production line, on opposite sides of the room so they couldn’t talk. By the time 5pm arrived and they were free to leave, Murphy couldn’t find Emori anywhere. He didn’t think much of it, though. At home, Echo was already there pouring two cups of tea to go with their daily rations already on the table. She turned at the sound of the door opening, her eyebrow arched.

“Well, I didn’t see you at Azgeda. Where did you get?” she asked, handing a mug to him. He took it, sipping at the tea.

“Eden,” he said, watching her reaction.

Echo frowned first, then chuckled. “No, really. Where?”

He shook his head. “I got Eden. Alie took two of us. You can ask around.”

Echo paused with her mug halfway to her lips, her eyes trained on him. “Right,” she murmured, shaking her head and sitting down at the table. Murphy joined her.

“It’s a chocolate factory,” he told her, launching into a description of what he had seen and what he had tasted, as Alie had given them a cup of coffee at the end of their tour. It had been the best thing Murphy had ever tasted. To her credit, Echo stayed quiet while he spoke. After dinner, she disappeared to do whatever it was she did in the evenings and Murphy went on his usual evening walk. He checked Raven’s apartment but she wasn’t there, and neither were Harper and Monty. After an hour of wandering around, he made his way back home and lay down on the bed. At 7:30, he heard the door close and lifted his head, nodding at Echo. She crawled in next to him and soon they dozed off, tired after the long day.

Murphy quickly realized that working at Eden Factory was amazing. He had thought working at a factory would be hard work, with no breaks. At least, that was how Echo described it. But at Eden, he was encouraged to take breaks whenever he needed. The work wasn’t so bad, though. His job was to monitor climate control in the room as well as the boilers melting chocolate for different treats. In the middle of his second week on the job, Emori was transferred into the boiler room as well, and they spent their time chatting and getting to know each other.

“I stay at one of the shelters,” Emori told him one afternoon, while they were talking about their home lives. “It’s rough, but at least it’s a bed. Better than spending all evening avoiding Sanctum guards.”

Murphy nodded slowly, biting the inside of his cheek. Suddenly, his tiny apartment didn’t seem so tiny.

“How about you?” Emori asked.

“I, uh. I have a place with my sister. Well, she’s not really my sister. We met when I was 11. She had some money saved up from working odd jobs for the Primes so she got us a place. It’s one room, though.” He felt bad even talking about it.

“That sounds nice,” Emori replied, turning and checking the numbers on the digital display on one of the vats of chocolate. Her gloved left hand hung loosely at her side. Murphy had noticed her abnormally large hand early on, but had decided not to mention it, figuring she would tell him when she was ready.

“Now that we have two incomes, though…” he trailed off, thinking about it.

“You thinking you might try to get a bigger place?”

He nodded, turning to a different vat of chocolate and checking the temperature. “It’s been our dream for a while.”

Emori fell silent after that, and Murphy instantly felt bad.

Two months into working at Eden, Murphy found himself being invited to Alie’s office. He stepped in, taking a long look at the dark-haired woman sitting behind the desk in an impossibly tight red dress.

“Have a seat, John,” she said, gesturing across the desk. He obeyed. “So, tell me. How do you like it here at Eden?”

He shrugged. “It’s alright. Not what I thought working would be like.”

Alie tilted her head. “Is that a good thing?”

Another shrug. “I guess.”

“And how are things at home? I see here you live with…” she pulled out a piece of paper with his photo at the top, “Echo?”

Murphy nodded, crossing his arms in front of him. “She’s my sister. She works at--”

“Azgeda Factory, yes. It must be nice to have two incomes now.”

He didn’t like the way Alie said it, nor did he like the dangerous glint to her eyes.

“We haven’t really noticed a difference, yet,” he said quickly. Too quickly. Alie smiled again, putting the paper to the side again.

“You may go. And remember, John, we want to do our best to accommodate you here.”

With that, she pressed a button on her desk and the door behind Murphy opened. He swallowed, leaving the room.

“Did you have a meeting with Alie?” he asked Emori later as they were clocking out.

“Yeah, she just wanted to know how I was settling in,” she answered, shrugging a shoulder. “Why?”

Murphy stared at the floor for a moment, then shrugged. “She gives me the creeps.”

When he got home, Echo was waiting just inside.

“I was fired,” she said immediately, before Murphy had even gotten his shoes off. He paused, turning to stare at her.

“What?” he asked dumbly.

“Fired. Me. Roan called me into his office and said he couldn’t tell me why, but he had to let me go. And no other factory will take me.” Her eyes were wide with panic and she was wringing her hands in front of her.

“What the hell?” Murphy swallowed, realizing the implications. They had been planning to move to a larger apartment in a month, one with a separate bedroom. They’d still have to sleep in the same room, but they might have been able to get two beds. With one income, though…

“And that’s not all. The rent’s gone up. I ran the numbers. We can’t afford this place on one income.” Echo let out a shaky breath. “It’s over, Murphy. We’ll have to go into one of the shelters.”

The shelters. Murphy shook his head. “Don’t do anything. I’ll be back.” With that, he turned and left the apartment, deaf to Echo’s protests, taking off at a run. He was determined not to lose the apartment. It was the one constant in his life, ever since Echo had taken him under her wing.

He checked the closest shelter, then the next one, and the next. Finally, in the slums of Alpha City, he saw Emori. She wasn’t alone, though. Two Sanctum Primes were heckling her. Murphy hesitated before shaking his head, loping forward.

“Hey!” he shouted, pushing between the Primes and Emori. “What the hell’s your problem?”

“It’s none of your business,” one of the Primes drawled, glaring at him. “But if you interfere, then we’ll report you.”

“Stop it,” Emori spoke from behind him. “We don’t want any trouble.”

“Leave her alone,” Murphy said brusquely, sizing them up.

The Primes paused, staring them down, then laughed. “This isn’t worth it,” the other one said, turning and walking away. His buddy followed him. Once they were out of earshot, Murphy wheeled around.

“You okay?” he asked, his hand finding her shoulder. Emori let out a shuddering breath, then nodded.

“Yeah. Thanks,” she said. Then she frowned. “What are you doing here?”

“I was looking for you,” he said, scratching the back of his neck.

“For me?” She seemed skeptical.

Murphy spoke quickly. “Look, my sister… she lost her job. I don’t know why. And our rent went up. And I was wondering… did you want to come live with us? It would get you out of the shelter.”

He watched her carefully for her reaction. The thoughts had raced through his mind while he looked for her. She had become a friend to him over the past couple of months, and in an apartment, she would receive a proper ration instead of the half ration she got at the shelter. And it would give him and Echo the money they needed to hold onto the apartment.

“Murphy, I don’t know--”

“Please. It’s the only way. We’ve lived there for six years. We can’t lose it.” He fixed the most sincere expression he could muster on his face.

Finally, Emori nodded. “I’ll think about it.”

He nodded and turned. Emori’s hand found his shoulder.

“It’s almost 8pm, John.”

Shit.

“How far away is your place?”

“Too far.” He blanched.

Emori sighed, glancing around furtively. “Stay here. With me. There isn’t a free bed, but I can sneak you in…” she trailed off, glancing to the side.

Murphy considered it. There was no way he would make it home before curfew. He nodded. “Okay.”

Emori grinned, taking his hand and leading him around to a side entrance to the building. There, she opened the door, peeking inside, then pulled him in. Murphy followed her as she wove through the hallways until emerging in a large open space filled with people.

“Act natural,” she instructed him, walking forward. He obeyed, glancing around. He hadn’t been in a shelter since before meeting Echo. Emori led him towards a door on the opposite side of the room. On the other side was a hallway with several doors, and Emori let go of his hand to dig out a key. She unlocked one door, pulling him into a small room, no bigger than a cell. There was a small bed and side table and a small wardrobe. Murphy blinked. Smaller than he remembered.

Just then, his stomach growled. Emori glanced at him in amusement. “Didn’t eat your rations?” she asked. He shook his head, grimacing.

“Didn’t have time.”

“Wait here,” she instructed, disappearing. Soon, she returned with a piece of bread and some fruit. He arched an eyebrow.

“The nice attendant is working tonight,” she explained, handing half the piece of bread out to him. Murphy took it and ate it.

“So… only one bed,” he said finally. They were currently sitting on it. Emori shrugged.

“I mean, you said you and your sister share a bed,” she said.

She was right. Murphy nodded. “I hope you don’t snore. She does.”

Emori laughed. When they had finished eating, Murphy kicked off his shoes and lay back on the tiny bed, pressed as close to the wall as possible. Emori lay down beside him, their arms brushing. He could feel her breathing as she dozed off. He felt the bed shift as she rolled onto her side, her back facing him. It was nothing like sharing a bed with his sister. He eventually fell asleep, still lying on his back.

When he woke up, Murphy instinctively rolled over, thinking he was in his slightly larger bed at home. Emori was already up, though, sitting at the foot of the bed and smirking.

“You snore,” she said, arching an eyebrow at him.

Murphy flushed pink. “Do not,” he retorted, even as he sat up.

Emori only smirked. She showed him the washroom, they both got ready, and then they returned to Eden together.

Two things were different at work that day. First of all, he was assigned to work in the production lines instead of the boiler room. Secondly, he was called into Alie’s office an hour in.

“Please sit, John,” Alie said. “I understand you stayed at a shelter last night.”

Shit. How had she known?

“If you’ve lost your apartment already, then I want you to know that we are prepared to accommodate you here. We have rooms for our workers.” She tilted her head.

Murphy frowned. Come to think of it, he didn’t think he had come across any other Eden workers out in the city. At the same time, though… “No, it’s fine. I still have my apart--”

“I’ve already made the arrangements. It won’t be necessary for you to leave Eden anymore.”

With that, she pressed the button that opened the door. Murphy tried several times to speak, but something in her expression told him it wouldn’t be good to argue. Instead, he slowly rose to his feet and left, trying to figure out how he had gotten himself into this mess.

The end of the day arrived and one of Alie’s closest henchmen, a tall man named Jaha, showed Murphy to a small room that reminded him of the shelter. Numbly, he sat on the small bed, barely having the energy to take off his shoes. It had been a long, difficult day on the production line, and he was ready to pass out.

Echo had no idea where he was, he realized with a start. She was probably worried sick. “Probably thinks I got myself arrested,” he said with a low chuckle, although there was no one to hear him.

He tossed and turned all night on the bed. It was the same size as Emori’s, but felt much bigger. When an invisible alarm went off in the morning, he wearily got to his feet and went to work.

This continued for several weeks, or months, although he lost track of time. The days were long and the nights were longer. He didn’t see Emori at all in the production lines. Had there been a time when he had wanted to work at Eden? He didn’t remember.

One evening, he was dragging his feet back to his room when he felt someone grab his arm. Murphy turned, not recognizing her at first.

“What are you--”

“Come with me!” Emori hissed, pulling him by the hand down a corridor. Murphy followed, acutely aware of how dishevelled he looked, not having a mirror in his room. Emori didn’t seem to notice or care, as she dragged him around. Finally, they reached the boiler room and she ducked behind a vat with him.

She dropped his hand, instead touching his face. He cringed at the contact. “I thought they had killed you,” she breathed, her eyes searching his. “It’s been months since the shelter. I almost stopped looking for you, then I saw you last week in that same corridor. What… what happened to you?”

Murphy took a step back, shrugging. “I’ve been here. Working production. Staying here. Alie arranged it.” His voice sounded hollow.

Emori breathed in sharply through her nose. “I had no idea…” she whispered, her hand dropping to her side. “I found your sister. We looked all over for you.”

That got his attention. “Echo. Is she…?”

“She’s okay. She lost the apartment, but she’s been staying with me at the shelter. We’ve been…” she trailed off as they heard footsteps. They both held their breath until the footsteps faded in the distance. Emori waited another minute before continuing. “We have a plan. The train that leaves Alpha City, it goes to a place, Floukru Village, they call it. We’re going to try to go there, get away from here. When I saw you last week… you have to come with us.” Her expression was pleading.

Murphy hesitated. “I can’t,” he mumbled, pulling away from her. “She’ll know. Somehow Alie knows everything. I’m sure she made Echo lose her job.” He had decided on that weeks ago.

Emori put her hand on his elbow. “She won’t know. And she can’t get to us in Floukru. They have a sanctuary law there.”

He remembered hearing about that years ago. In fact, he and Echo had considered it before her claiming ceremony. The only problem was…

“How are you going to afford the train?” he asked.

Emori grinned. “Well, that’s the thing. You know how expensive coffee is?”

He nodded, trying to figure out where she was going.

“Well. I hear they’re making chocolate covered espresso beans. A new treat the Primes asked for.” Emori paused and he nodded to confirm it. Murphy had operated the machines for that production just the other day. “A bag of those would be enough for three train tickets to Floukru.”

Murphy nodded again, slowly this time. He was beginning to catch on. “So you want to steal--”

“Steal the beans,” Emori finished the sentence, grinning widely. “Echo’s waiting at the train station.”

Murphy drew in a deep breath. The last couple of months had been hell, and Floukru’s sanctuary law was their only chance. He nodded. “Let’s do it.”

Emori beamed and they slipped out from behind the vat, making their way to the cold storage where all finished product was kept. Murphy knew exactly where the beans were. He found a box, lifting it and showing her. Emori pulled out a small knife, opening the box and pulling out a bag of espresso beans.

“Bingo,” she whispered. Murphy was about to agree with her when they heard something. Footsteps. The door opening. Jaha.

“Run!” he said, grabbing her gloved hand and taking off. The footsteps behind them quickened until they were being openly chased by Alie’s goon. His heart raced as he bolted between the shelves. A box was in his path and he vaulted over it, Emori right behind him. They came to a door and Murphy yanked it open, pulling her into the corridor. They didn’t stop; they continued to run. Murphy had spent so much time in the factory that he knew where all the exits were; in his first two weeks of living there, he had forlornly looked at them on his breaks. He led Emori to one of the exits and they burst out into the evening air.

“I think we lost him,” Emori said, panting. Murphy nodded.

“What time does the train leave?” he asked.

“The Floukru train is at 8:10,” she answered.

He nodded, inwardly marvelling at the feeling of fresh air. He hadn’t felt it in so long. They had to get moving, though. The train station was on the other end of the city. After checking that they still had the beans, Murphy and Emori made their way through the streets. By one of the digital clocks, they learned it was 7:45. They quickened their pace. Murphy tried to keep his head turned away from the different cameras as they jogged, praying Alie’s man didn’t find them.

The siren blared, long and loud. “Was it always that loud?” Murphy grumbled, clapping his hands over his ears. Emori didn’t answer, instead pulling him by the wrist down a side street. Just before they emerged onto the main road, a figure stepped out of the shadows. Murphy swallowed. It was Jaha.

“How the hell did he find us?” he hissed at Emori, who shrugged helplessly.

“The Primes will kill you for this,” the man said, crossing his arms. Murphy glanced around, calculating. There was no one around and the train station had to be no more than a block away.

A loud THUNK sounded and Jaha crumpled to the ground revealing Echo standing with a piece of pipe in her hands. “I hate Primes,” she said.

Murphy blinked once, twice, then smirked. “Nice shot,” he said, walking towards Echo.

“Murphy…” His sister dropped the pipe, embracing him in a tight hug. “You had me worried sick, idiot,” she muttered against him. He snorted.

“I’m a survivor,” he said. Emori stepped up behind them.

“We have to go. The train’s probably boarding.”

Echo and Murphy nodded, taking off at a run. They made it to the station just in time and, as promised, the beans were traded for three tickets. Once they were on the train, they watched as Alpha City disappeared into the distance. There was no way Alie could know where they were going.

“I love you,” Echo murmured, her arm around his shoulder.

“Love you too,” he said. Murphy’s eyes, however, were on Emori across from them. Emori gave him a small nod and a smile, turning and looking out the window. He could tell she knew.

When they reached Floukru Village, the first thing Murphy noticed was the lack of cameras. It was beautiful.

**Author's Note:**

> Shoutout to Bailey and Sara! You rock, ladies!


End file.
